Apparatus for attaching a clamping member to binding material



Oct. 25, 1960 F, VAN MARLE 2,957,408

APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING A CLAMPING MEMBER TO BINDING MATERIAL Filed Dec. 10, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 cs5 Q VVM INVENTOR. 5?:94'4/64 My W74!!! 06L 1960 F VAN MARLE ,957, 08

APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING A CLAMPING MEMBER T0 BINDING MATERIAL Filed Dec. 10, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. fiEDEk/ /K /'7/ LF 06L 1960 F. VAN MARLE 2,957,408

APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING A CLAMPING MEMBER T0 BINDING MATERIAL Filed D90. 10, 1956 4 Sheets-$heet 3 IN VEN TOR. fke'm-wms M1 Wan Oct. 25, 1960 F. VAN MARLE 2,957,408

APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING A CLAMPING MEMBER T0 BINDING MATERIAL Filed Dec. 10, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY United States Patent APPARATUS FOR A'ITACHING A CIJANIPING MEMBER T BINDING MATERIAL Frederick van Marle, The Hague, Netherlands, assignor to N.V. Technische Maatschappij Marchand-Andriessen, The Hague, Netherlands, a Dutch limited-liability company The present invention relates to an apparatus for attaching a clamping member made from a piece of bandshaped material to a binding member, such as a cord or Wire. Such apparatus are used more particularly in machines for bundling a pile of letters, newspapers, documents or the like in order to render the latter suitablefor transport, e.g. by the postal services.

The piece of band material should be wrapped around the binding member to form a perfect clamping member and in order to achieve this, this Wrapping action should be done in the extreme corner between a die which is movable along a table and which contacts said table and the surface of the table contacted by said die. The die should be provided in that corner with a recess in which the Wrapping action takes place. 7

However, the consequence of the fact that the wrappin the recess and said table surface the die will have a pro t-ruding sharp edge which forms a weak point in the construction.

The main object of the invention is to eliminate this In an embodiment of the invention the slide is urged by a spring and the table is provided with a slot adapted to be passed by the binding member with the clamping member attached thereto, an abutment being provided for locating said slide with respect to said slot.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows the apparatus for forming the clamping member and a mechanism for cutting a piece of band metal in cross section and partly in elevation; this apparatus is intended for a bundling'machine;

Fig. 2 represents the apparatus in a position in which the wrapping of the clamping member may begin;

Fig. 3 shows a stage of the operation during the wrapping action;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the machine taken through the same plane and with the parts as shown in end of the band 2 abuts a recess 4 in a rectilinearly mov- 2,957,408 lcg Patented Oct. 25, 1960 able die 5. Subsequently the cord 6 comes to lie below the metal band.

A knife 8 is provided at a pressure member 7, which after the feeding movement of the metal band 2 is raised along a guide pin 9 and then cuts a piece 2a from the band in cooperation with the side edge of a counteracting member 10. Said piece 2a serves as a clamping member which is held in a recess 4 of the die 5 and rests on the knife 8 and in a groove 20 of the member 10.

Almost simultaneously with the cutting operation the pressure member 7 urges the free end of the band 2 in a recess 11 of retaining member 10.

1 Thus the end 20 of the band is bent such as to adapt said end to the shape of the recess 4 in the die 5.

The severed clamping member 2a is now wrapped to form a cylinder around adjacent parts of the cord 6, 6a due to the movement of the die 5 in the direction of arrow q and then said cylinder is flattened to clamp said cord parts tightly together.

Thereafter the cord with the clamping member 2a can evade through a slot 13 in table 2 as soon as the cord has been cut and the die 5 has been completely drawn back;

In order to enable a stronger construction of the part 12 of the die 5, the clamping member 2a is not retained t by the lower surface of the table 1, but by a suitably arranged slide 14.

.. This slide 14 is guided in a frame part 15 and is provided with an abutment 16 which abuts said part 15. A tension spring 17 is attached at 18 to slide 14 and at 19 211 to frame part 15. should be done in said extreme corner is that between 'Now the protruding part 12 of the die 5 acts against the slide 14 against the action -of spring 17. The slide 14 follows the movement of die 5.

At 20 a groove similar to groove 20 is provided so that the part 15 can be reversed.

''In fact the slide 14 constitutes a thickened and slidable part of table 1, so that the piece of band 2a can be wrapped in the right place, i.'e. in the extreme angle between die S and the table 1 and nevertheless the die 5 need nothave a sharp edge just above the recess 4.

Figures 5 and 6 show the feeding of the string diagrammatically, a more complete description thereof being found in my 'co-pending application Serial Number 627,278 which issued as Patent No. 2,920,553. Figure 5 shows-'astack 21 to be bundled placed on the table; 1,

The free end of the string 6 is held by a gripper 22 which isfastened'toan endless chain 23 which is guided by the sprocket wheels 24 positioned in the upper framework 45 of the machine (as seen in Figure 4).

- The string is carried around the bundle or stack 21 by the gripper 22. The loop around the bundle 21 is inexcess amount so that the excess is hauled back by means of a pulley arrangement. The pulley arrangement comprises four side by side sheaves 25 having a fixed position and three side by side sheaves 26 which are movable and connected by means of a spring 27 with the frame of the apparatus which supports the table 1.

The string 6 is fed from any suitable source of supply or container (not shown). The spring 27 permits the string to fall loosely around the bundle. The string passes through the slot of a shaft 28. After the excess length of the string has been hauled back by the spring 27, the shaft 28 rotates counterclockwise as seen in Figure 6, which tightens the string on the bundle 21. The metal clamp is formed about the string, as previously explained, and the string is then severed. T

Figure 4 shows the means for feeding the metal strip and the timed means for urging the die 12 in the direction of the counter die 10.

. 1 {Beneath the table 1 is a driven shaft 29 having two spaced cams 30 and 31 thereon. Once during each rev olution of the shaft 29 the cam 30 actuates a rocker arm 32 pivotally mounted on the frame 33 whichsupports the table 1. The rocker arm 32 actuates a link 32a which, in turn, elevates an angular link 34 pivotally connected to the carrier 36 for the die 12. The die '12 is thus caused to reciprocate toward and away from the counter die '10.

The other cam 31 actuates a rocker arm in the form of a bell crank 37 which is pivotally mounted at 38 to a stationary frame member 39. Pivotally mounted on the upper end of the bell crank 37 is a pushrod 40 which is notched at its outer end for successive engagement with pins 41 carried by a wheel 42. The metal strip 2 which is fed from a reel 43 contacts the wheel 42 and is pressed thereagainst by a roller 44. Rotation of the shaft 29 and cam 31 thus causes intermittent feeding of the metal strip 2 through the sleeve 3 to the die 10.

Having now described the invention and the objects thereof what is claimed is:

1. In a bundle tying machine having a table supporting a stack of items to be bundled, said stack having a twine wrapping therearound, the ends of which are to be clamped together, the combination of a metallic strip, a die which is movable parallel with the bottom surface of the table, means feeding said strip toward said die, means moving said die in the direction of the leading edge of said strip while said strip is fed toward said die, the leading face of said die having an arcuate groove transversely thereof and in spaced relation with the bottom of said table, means shearing a length of the end of said strip to be used as a clamp for said twine ends, a fixed counter die having a second groove transversely of the face thereof toward said die, the shear means forcing the leading edge of the strip end toward said die and impelling the trailing edge thereof into said second groove, a spring pressed slide mounted underneath said table having a thickness no greater than the spacing of said arcuate groove belowsaid table, said die upon engaging the edge of said strip length abutting the end of said slide causing said slide to move therewith, said slide acting to deflect the end of said strip into said arcuate groove, said die upon further movement in the direction of said strip end causing said strip end to wrap around said twine ends while reacting against said slide and said counter die, said die upon still further movement flattening the wrapped strip end against said counter die, thus clamping it tightly on said twine ends.

2. In a bundle tying machine having a table supporting a stack of items to be bundled, said stack having a twine wrapping therearound, the ends of which are to be clamped together, the combination of a metallic strip a die having a rounded seat in the leading face thereof in spaced relation with the upper edge thereof movable parallel with the underneath surface of the table, a spring pressed slide mounted on the underneath surface of said table in spaced relation with said die, the table having an opening between said die and said slide through which the twine projects, means for feeding the end of said strip toward said die seat and above said twine and means for moving said die toward the leading edge of said strip and toward said slide, shear means comprising a stationary part and a movable part for severing an end off said strip, the movable part of said shear means forcing the leading end of said strip end against said slide and toward :said die, the stationary part said shear means acting as :a stationary counter die, said die contacting said slide above said seat, said slide deflecting the leading edge of said strip end into said seat, said die upon continued movement in the direction of the strip causing the leading end of the strip end to wrap around the twin ends while reacting against said slide and said counter die, said die upon further movement flattening said strip end by further pressing it against said slide and said counter die.

3. In a bundle tying machine having a table supporting a stack of items to be bundled, said stack having a twine Wrapping .therearound, the ends of which are to be clamped together, the combination of a metallic strip, a die having a rounded seat in its leading face in vertically spaced relation with the upper edge thereof and mounted on the underneath surface of the table for movement parallel therewith, a spring pressed slide mounted on the underneath surface of said table in rectilinearly spaced relation with said die, means feeding the leading edge of said strip angularly upward in the direction of the slide and the seat of said die, shear means severing the end of said strip while forcing it into contact with said slide and said die seat, a counter die adjacent said shear means, means moving said die toward said strip end and into abutment with said slide, continued movement of said die causing the leading edge of said strip end to encircle the twine ends while the trailing portion of said strip end reacts against said slide and said counter die, said slide retreating against a spring pressure while said die advances toward said counter die, further continued movement of said die causing formation of the strip end into a clamp and the flattening of said clamp about said twine wrapping.

4. In a bundle tying machine having a table supporting a stack of items to be bundled, said stack having a twine wrapping therearound, the ends of which are to be clamped together, the combination of a metallic strip having its end bent angularly downward, a die having a rounded seat in its leading face in relation with the upper edge thereof mounted on the underneath surface of the table for movement parallel therewith, a spring pressed slide also mounted on the underneath surface of the table in spaced relation with said die having a thickness not greater than the spacing of said rounded seat below the bottom of said table, means feeding the leading edge of said strip angularly upward in the direction of the seat of said die, a stationary counter die having a groove transversely of its face toward said die, shear means severing the end of said strip while forcing the leading edge thereof into engagement with said seat and against said slide, said shear means forcing the trailing edge of said severed strip into said groove, said die moving in the direction of said strip end and into abutment with said slide, said die by its movement causing said strip end to encircle said twine ends while reacting against said slide and said counter die, further continued movement of said die causing the flattening of said strip end into clamping relation with said twine ends, said shear means having means coacting therewith to bend the new end of said metallic strip angularly downward simultaneously with the shearing of said strip end.

5. In combination in a bundling machine wherein the ends of twine binding means are clamped together by a strip of handing metal, a table for the receipt of articles such as letters, newspapers and the like, to be bundled, a die rectilinearly movable along the under surface of said table and provided on its front face with an arcuate groove extending across said face parallel to and spaced from the lower surface of said table, a counter die fixed to the bottom surface of said table to cooperate with said die and having a groove in the face thereof toward said die, said counter die at its lower face remote from the bottom of said table having a groove to receive the leading end of the strip of banding metal and to act as an anvil for the shearing of said strip, shear means associated with said anvil, said shear means being adapted to propel the severed edge of said strip into the groove in said counter die toward said die, said counter die also having a groove in its surface adjacent the bottom of said table extending in a direction perpendicular to the front face of said die, a slide movable in the last named groove having a thickness not greater than the spacing of said arcuate groove from the bottom of said table, spring means anchored to the bottom of said table in the vicinity of said counter die and tovsaid slide urging said slide in the direction of said die, and a stop for said slide limiting its mpyement in the direction of said die.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cranston Aug. 26, 1952 French et al Feb. 26, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 28, 1938 

